Diabetes mall walk set for Tuesday

Members of the Epsilon Phi Omega chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority are inviting people to join them in the "Million Challenge," on Tuesday for Diabetes Alert Day.

The walk will be held at Berkeley Mall from 5:30 to 7 p.m. AKA members will join mall walkers in bringing attention to the need for taking tests to check for diabetes.

Diabetes Alert Day, which is held every fourth Tuesday in March, is a one-day, wake-up call for people to take the Diabetes Risk Test to find out if they are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes.

Last year, more than 1 million people took part in the nationwide observation.

The diabetes risk test requires users to answer simple questions about weight, age, family history and other potential risk factors for type 2 diabetes. The test will show users whether they are at low, moderate or high risk for prediabetes or diabetes. If they are at high risk, they are encouraged to talk with their health care provider.

Of the nearly 26 million Americans living with diabetes, one quarter of those doesn't even know it, while another 79 million American adults have prediabetes, placing them at increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes.

Among the primary risk factors for type 2 diabetes are being overweight, sedentary, over the age of 45 and having a family history of diabetes. African Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, Native Americans, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are at an increased risk, as are women who have had babies weighing more than nine pounds at birth.

Studies have shown that type 2 diabetes can be prevented or delayed by losing just 7 percent of an overweight person's body weight.

You can "Join the Million Challenge" by getting your free Diabetes Risk Test at stopdiabetes.com, 1-800-DIABETES or by texting JOIN to 69866.